Showtime picks up 'House of Lies' series starring Ben Schwartz

New Showtime entertainment president David Nevins is going 2-for-2 in his first development season at the pay cable network, picking up both pilots he ordered -- drama Homeland and comedy House of Lies -- to series. Both have received 12-episode orders and will start production in the summer. Thriller Homeland, from 24 showrunner Howard Gordon, stars Claire Danes, Damian Lewis and Emmy and Mandy Patinkin, while management consulting comedy House of Lies is toplined by Don Cheadle and Kristen Bell. "Homeland and House of Lies are audacious in both their concept and their casting," Nevins said. "They build upon the network's successful pedigree and expand the definition of what a Showtime series can be.

Homeland, produced by Fox 21, is based on Gideon Raff's Israeli series Prisoners of x. Written by Gordon, Raff and Alex Gansa, it tells the story of Carrie Anderson (Danes), a CIA officer battling her own demons who becomes convinced that the intelligence that led to the rescue of Scott Brody (Lewis), a U.S. soldier who had been missing and presumed deal for nine years, was a setup and may be connected to an Al-Qaeda plot to be carried out on American soil. Mandy Patinkin plays Saul, a veteran CIA Division Chief who is Carrie's boss and mentor.

House of Lies, written and executive produced by Matthew Carnahan, was based on the tell-all book House of Lies: How Management Consultants Steal Your Watch and Tell You the Time by Martin Kihn. Cheadle stars as Marty, a highly successful and cutthroat consultant who is never above using any means (or anyone) necessary to get his way with and for his clients. Bell plasy Jeannie Van Der Hooven, a razor-sharp Ivy League graduate who works at Marty's firm. Co-stars include comedian Ben Schwartz and Josh Lawson as well as Dawn Oliveri, Glynn Turman and Donis Leonard Jr. Also executive producing are Jessika Borsiczky and Stephen Hopkins, who directed the pilot.
LA General

Casey Wilson attached to star in 'Bachelorette' comedy

Lizzy Caplan and Casey Wilson also attached to star in indie project for Ferrell and Adam McKay's Gary Sanchez Prods.

Lizzy Caplan, Kirsten Dunst, Adam Scott and Casey Wilson are attached to star in an indie comedy being produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay via their Gary Sanchez productions.

Leslye Headland wrote the script, which has a working title of Bachelorette (that will likely be changed), and is directing.

The story follows three best friends (two of whom would be played by Caplan and Dunst) who are invited to act as bridesmaids at the wedding of a girl they called "Pigface" in high school. The producers are still in the process of casting the third best friend.

Caplan's character is described as having a Playboy Bunny body with a Larry David brain. Dunst's character appearance is described as crisp and severe, and she is referred to as your best friend and your worst enemy.

Wilson, one of the stars of ABC's Happy Endings, is playing the bride, who has big plans for three women. Scott, who starred with Caplan on the dearly departed comedy Party Down, will play Caplan's high school crush, who shows up at the wedding with a beautiful and much younger date.

The project, with a budget only in the $3 million range, is in the process of lining up its financing. Depending on scheduling, producers are hoping to shoot this summer in New York.

The movie would be the feature directorial debut of Headland, repped by CAA and Caliber. Headland was at one point an assistant to Harvey Weinstein before becoming a staff writer on the FX show Terriers.

The project began life as a play titled Bachelorette, which was an off-Broadway hit last summer, where it caught the attention of execs from Gary Sanchez.

Caplan is repped by CAA, while Dunst is with UTA and Management 360.

Scott is repped by CAA and Untitled while Wilson is repped by UTA and Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment.
LA General

Adam Pally featured in New York Post

Apr 1, 2015

You Must Know: Adam Pally

If his wardrobe wasn't a dead giveaway, Max isn't your typical television gay. But that's exactly what drew actor Adam Pally to his Happy Endings character. 'I wasn't interested in playing 'a gay guy,'' he tells PopWrap. 'What I liked is that Max was written just like everyone else on the show, he just happened to be a guy who likes guys.'

This very modern approach to sexuality is just one of the ways the ABC comedy has separated itself from the laugh pack since debuting in April. It has also discovered a way to reinvigorate the Friends formula -- a task partially accomplished by casting deft improvisors in a majority of the roles.

Adam, a member of the Upright Citizens Brigade, says, 'improvisation is really encouraged and so much of the credit for that goes to our writers. They aren't so precious that we have to hit every word in the script. They let us have fun and I think that really comes across on screen.'

Working on Happy Endings also introduced him to Wonder Years star Fred Savage (who has directed some of the episodes), which led to an amazing Funny Or Die video where Adam interrogates Fred while driving around Los Angeles. 'He's one of the funniest people I know and that idea came from just wanting to know how much tail he got back in the day.' The video quickly went viral and spawned an upcoming sequel starring Colin Hanks that promises to exploit his Hollywood heritage.

As for Happy Endings, while it has yet to receive a season two pickup, Adam remains optimistic, grateful and -- above all else -- proud of the show. 'I think every episode gets funnier, punchier and smarter,' he says, citing tonight's episode as an example, where Max introduces the term 'Gay-cist.'

'I have a lot of gay friends who complain that everyone wants to set them up and when they ask why, they always hear, 'because you're both gay.' As if that was all it takes,' he laughs. 'So, to everyone who is doing that, you're Gay-cist. Sorry.'